Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 459 Family Reunion
"This Jianghuai method is good. It can not only solve the livelihood of tens of thousands of people in Longchuan, but also allow the court to make use of the Great Jinsha River."

In April in the Chunhe Hall in Beijing, Zhu Gaoxu looked at the handwriting written by Wang Xuan and couldn't help but become interested in this so-called son of a serf.

Although Zhu Zhanhe had told him about Jiang Huai many times before, there were dozens of people like Jiang Huai who were always number one in the school in the Ming Dynasty every year, so he really didn't need to care.

Studying well and being able to engage in economics are two different things. Moreover, Jiang Huai is willing to return to a remote place like Longchuan to serve as an official. This kind of ambition is also rare.

"From Longchuan to Manmo, I think it's only about two hundred miles, right?"

Zhu Gaoxu asked Yi Shiha, and Yi Shiha nodded when he heard the words: "Two hundred and twenty-six miles."

"Well..." Zhu Gaoxu nodded, satisfied: "It costs about 700,000 to 800,000 yuan to build such a railway. If Longchuan can really prosper under the governance of Jianghuai, it can also affect the entire western Yunnan and even southern Yunnan. ”

"But just planting mulberry trees is too short-sighted. With the climate in Longchuan, if you plant sugar cane, the profit will probably not be shallow."

Zhu Gaoxu remembers that when he traveled to western Yunnan in his previous life, he saw many fields where sugar cane was grown. In the Ming Dynasty, one acre of land produced at least 15 to kilograms of sugar cane, and the sugar yield of making sucrose was at least %.

In other words, one acre of land can produce at least one hundred kilograms of sucrose.

In the context of the Age of Discovery, the most famous cargoes on the waterways were spices, silk, tea, gold and silver, cane sugar, porcelain and slaves.

In addition to slaves, spices, gold and silver, the rest of tea, sugar, silk, and porcelain needed to be imported on a large scale from China. China's trade was far more important in the minds of Western colonists than India and Southeast Asia trade.

Because of this, Taiwan, which could produce millions of kilograms of cane sugar in the late Ming Dynasty, was a renewable gold mine for the Dutch.

The sugar produced from sugar cane is divided into several grades. The best is worth more than 300 yuan per catty, and the worst is worth more than 30 yuan.

If shipped to India, Central Asia and East Africa, the price quadruples or more.

If Yunnan can take care of both growing mulberry and weaving cloth as well as producing sugar, it will be beneficial to Ming Dynasty in obtaining benefits from Indochina and Xiaoxiyang.

In addition, in Zhu Gaoxu's view, if the trade route in Yunnan can develop, then the Ming Dynasty will have no choice but to face a problem, which is the three declarations and ten comforts on the Indochina Peninsula and the Siamese countries.

In order to protect the two waterways of the Da Jinsha River and the Lancang River, Ming Dynasty will pay special attention to any disturbance in the Indochina Peninsula.

If we develop Yunnan well, we can maintain Ming's dominance in Indochina, killing two birds with one stone.

With heavy industry in the north, light industry in the south, and overseas resources, Zhu Gaoxu couldn't think of any other force that could challenge Ming's authority around the world.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu explained to Yi Shiha:
"Tell Wang Xuan about planting sugar cane, and pay attention to Jiang Huai. He is so confident that he can pass the Jinshi examination. I would like to know if he can go to Fengtian Palace to participate in the imperial examination."

After putting down his pen, Zhu Gaoxu no longer paid attention to matters in Yunnan and western Yunnan.

For him, there are too many things that he needs to be busy with every day. He doesn't even have time to pay attention to famous officials such as Li Xian, Yu Qian, Wei Yuan, etc., let alone a guy like Jiang Huai who is unknown in history.

History has been changed a lot by Zhu Gaoxu, and many literati and military generals in the future may be changed because of the changes in the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Yue, Li Dongyang, Wang Shouren, Yu Dayou, Qi Jiguang, Zhang Juzheng, Gao Gong, Yang Shen...

Who knows whether these famous people in history will still appear?
Times have changed, and continuing to read old scripts will only harm yourself.

Zhu Gaoxu only cares about strength now, and what he has to do is try to maintain fairness.

Elementary school is about fairness, and the middle school can be as fair as possible. The officialdom and battlefield in the future are not something Zhu Gaoxu can take into account.

People with strong abilities will never be buried in a relatively fair environment.

As for those who are particularly unlucky, that is not what Zhu Gaoxu considers.

"The Crown Princess is a thousand years old..."

Suddenly, the eunuch on duty sang a song. Zhu Gaoxu raised his head and looked at the door. Sure enough, he saw Guo Yan walking towards the palace with a plate of food.

"Did you make it yourself?"

Zhu Gaoxu asked, and Guo Yan also smiled and said: "I thought you didn't eat it, so I sent it over first."

Seeing this, Yi Shiha cleared the table, and Guo Yan also put the food on the table.

A bowl of rice, two meat dishes, three vegetarian dishes, one soup and six dishes, this was Zhu Gaoxu's lunch.

Looking at the food, Zhu Gaoxu also moved his index fingers, picked up the bowls and chopsticks, and started eating.

Guo Yan sat on the chair next to him, watching him enjoy his meal with a peaceful smile.

Within two words, Zhu Gaoxu had already finished his meal and rinsed his mouth with tea.

When Guo Yan saw this, he didn't bother him. He took the palace maid to clean up and then bowed and left.

After she left, Zhu Gaoxu continued to process the memorial, and time passed by little by little.

A month passed slowly. During this period, Zhu Di implemented the policy of "using barbarians to control barbarians" in Mobei. He named Mahamu the "King of Shunning", Taiping as the "King of Xianyi", and Batu Polo as the "King of Anle". , and opened Hailarai to trade with Mobei Mongolia.

Since the Oara wanted to trade with Hailaer, they had to pass through the pasture of Alitai, so the friction between the Oara and the Tatars continued to intensify.

Due to the strength of the Ming Dynasty, Mahamu did not immediately break up with Alitai. Instead, he sent an envoy south, hoping that the court could change the location of Walahu Market to Yijinai or Hami, but Zhu Di refused.

This situation made Mahamu embarrassed, but he was afraid of Zhu Di, so he had to endure it.

When he could bear this breath, a team of more than a thousand people also appeared outside Daming Gate in the south of Beijing.

When the team slowly stopped, several carriages guarded by the team also stopped one after another.

The eunuch brought the horse stool, and a dark, strong young man on the horse got off the horse and stretched out his hand to help.

The car door was opened, and out of it was thirty-eight-year-old Zhu Gaochi.

As a middle-aged man, he is inevitably much fatter than the last time he went to Nanjing. He feels like he is out of breath even if he takes a few steps.

"Hey, you have to be careful."

After helping the young man get off the carriage, Zhu Gaochi immediately looked around and at the same time stepped on the thousands-acre blue brick square outside Daming Gate.

"Look, Grandpa You and your second uncle are so tyrannical. So many bricks were buried outside the city."

Zhu Gaochi still couldn't change his habit of picking at the cracks in the bricks. The young man who heard this said helplessly:
"This is probably the square where future military exercises will take place. Don't think too much about it."

The only person who could be greeted like this by Zhu Gaochi was his eldest son Zhu Zhanji.

Eighteen-year-old Zhu Zhanji is strong and young. Although his skin is relatively dark, judging from his proficiency in getting on and off the horse, he is undoubtedly a master of equestrian skills.

"Boss, why are you getting off the car here?"

There were shouts from behind, and the thirty-three-year-old Zhu Gaosui, who had a short beard and an impatient look on his face, came over.

His body is relatively well-proportioned, not as exaggerated as Zhu Gaochi's.

"I've been sitting in this car for so long that my butt has almost become eight-petaled. Wouldn't it be nice to stop and take a walk to see the changes in Beijing?"

"Think about it for yourself, the last time I came back was eighteen or nineteen years ago."

Zhu Gaochi was still nostalgic, but Zhu Gaosui waved his hand: "Hurry up and move around. If your butt feels comfortable, continue on your way."

After saying this, Zhu Gaosui returned to his carriage. As for Zhu Gaochi, he looked at his back and shook his head:

"Look at your third uncle, he is so pampered by your grandpa."

He pointed at the third child to educate Zhu Zhanji, but Zhu Zhanji looked at the city of Beijing with an indescribable feeling in his heart.

He didn't know what was wrong. Looking at the city of Beijing, he always felt something was wrong.

"Okay, let's not leave. Let's get on the carriage and go in. I want to see how Beijing has changed."

Zhu Gaochi said as he struggled to get onto the carriage, still looking around outside Daming Gate.

It's a pity that since this is a square for military exercises, except for officials who pass here on weekdays, there are basically no people coming and going here at other times.

Not long after, the team began to move forward and was inspected at Daming Gate.

A thousand soldiers carrying flintlock rifles were stationed here. Zhu Zhanji looked at the flintlock rifles on their shoulders with envy.

The flintlock guns produced by Bohai and Liaodong are all numbered. If a gun is lost, at least three military attaches of the fifth rank will be lost. Therefore, such a good thing cannot be mastered by the feudal king's guard.

"If there are five thousand fusilier cavalry, they can probably wipe out tens of thousands of barbarian cavalry."

Zhu Zhanji said enviously, while Zhu Gaochi motioned for him to lower his voice: "Lower your voice, this place is no better than the palace."

"Hmm..." Zhu Zhanji nodded, and their team also entered the tall and wide corridor, and then passed slowly.

Suddenly, what appeared in front of them was the seventy-foot-wide Daming Street. There were many three-story shops on both sides of the street. There were thousands of people coming and going at a glance, but this Daming Street seemed slightly empty.

"This street is so wide that it can be used for military exercises."

Zhu Gaochi was speechless and looked at the blue bricks on the ground with distress.

Compared to Zhu Gaochi, the rest of the escort were shocked by the wide avenue.

Although the streets in Nanjing are relatively wide, they are a bit petty compared to Beijing.

The current guards are like children who have walked out of the mountains and are seeing the vast plains for the first time.

"Hey, what are those?"

Zhu Gaochi saw some strange cars and couldn't help but ask curious questions.

Beside the carriage, the head of the Ministry of Etiquette, who had gone out of the city twenty miles early to greet them, introduced with a smile:
"That's a rickshaw that pulls people around. Not long after it came out, people in the capital began to buy rickshaws to pull people. The price is cheaper than a horse-drawn carriage. Depending on the distance, the price of a ride ranges from two to more than a dozen cash."

"It's interesting..." Zhu Gaochi looked at the rickshaw pullers with interest, and then scanned the shops and streets passing by.

Because the distance was relatively far, he even took out his binoculars to look around and found that most of these shops along the street mainly served snacks and meals from Shandong and Nanjing.

"How many people are there in Beijing now?"

Zhu Gaochi asked, and the head of the Ministry of Rites also replied: "There are about 540,000 permanent residents, and there are tens of thousands of merchants who come and go. Anyway, there are about 600,000."

"It is estimated that construction of the outer city in the south will begin soon. By then, the capital will be able to accommodate 1.5 million people."

The words of the head of the Ministry of Rites made everyone stunned. It has been a year and a half since Yunnan returned to its native land, but the current population is only over 1.2 million.

According to the head of the Ministry of Rites, nearly 600,000 people are crowded into Beijing, which is almost half of Yunnan’s paper population.

"Such a large city must consume a lot of food, livestock and poultry every day, right?" Zhu Gaochi was more worried about people's livelihood issues, and the head of the Ministry of Rites was well prepared before arriving, so he explained:
"According to records in Daxing County Records and Wanping County Records, there are no less than 10,000 livestock and no less than 30,000 poultry entering and exiting the city gates every day."

"In addition, rice and wheat are transported to Tongzhou through the canal to the prefectures south of Zhili, and then dispatched by the imperial court from Tongzhou to be sold in the capital. The white rice is three cents per catty, and the japonica rice is seven cents per catty."

"As for fruits, vegetables and other items, it depends on the season. In short, the daily import is no less than one million kilograms."

The head of the Ministry of Rites was quite proud of this. Zhu Gaochi heard this and said, "Beijing consumes so much, won't prices in other places in Zhili also rise?"

"Meat and vegetables will naturally follow the increase, but food will not increase because food is controlled by the imperial court." The head of the Ministry of Rites explained:

"What's more, Liaodong and Shandong will transport grain by sea and canals. The annual grain input from outside Zhili is 3 million shi, of which 1 million is for the border troops, and the second is deposited in Tongzhou."

"In addition, when the railway is built, grain from the Bohai Sea and Jianghuai River can also be imported into Tongzhou. At the speed of the train, it is not too much to travel five hundred miles a day."

"Not to mention food, even the fruits and vegetables were brought from Jianghuai yesterday, but they are eaten in Beijing today..."

Although the train hasn't started running yet, word about the train has already spread.

From Jiangnan to Liaodong, people everywhere are discussing this matter, and the reason why it spread so quickly is mainly due to the construction of railways.

Zhu Gaochi was relatively remote in Yunnan and did not believe in the train. Therefore, when the head of the Ministry of Rites said that, he asked, "Is the train real?"

"Of course it's true!" The head of the Ministry of Etiquette nodded.

"Have you seen it?" Zhu Gaochi asked again, and the head of the Ministry of Rites shook his head:

"Although we have never seen it, all six ministers have gone to Taixue to see it."

"Oh..." Zhu Gaochi believed most of it when he heard that the six ministers had seen it, but since he had never seen the real thing, he always felt that the statement of traveling five hundred miles a day was a bit exaggerated.

If he can really travel five hundred miles a day, doesn't it mean that he will only need ten days to reach Beijing from Kunming?

is it possible?

Zhu Gaochi was filled with doubts, but in the end he stopped thinking about it and focused on looking at the situation in Beijing.

Soon, they arrived at the Xihua Gate of the palace city, and along the way, Zhu Gaochi had to admire his second son's ability to manage politics.

Beijing was very prosperous under his management, and the people had their own jobs. There were also soldiers from the Military and Horse Department and the Shangzhi soldiers and horses patrolling the streets. Few people dared to break the rules.

Along the way, he also chatted a lot with the head of the Ministry of Rites.

Beijing has 72 primary schools and two middle schools, which can accommodate 100,000 students, which solves the education problems of the people in Beijing.

As for sewers, sewage outlets, sewage treatment, etc., they are also well planned.

Cleaners in blue coats are everywhere. Although the salary is only ten cents a day, which is considered a low salary in this capital, the work is easy. After all, there is not much garbage in this era.

In addition, there are open gardens, zoos, gardens, landscape trees on both sides of the streets, etc. in the city.

These things made Zhu Gaochi transform into Grandma Liu, as if he had walked into the Grand View Garden alone.

"Tell me, brother, how did the city of Beijing get so well done that the four of us are like farmers entering the city?"

With his hands in his pockets, Zhu Gaochi was communicating with Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Gaosui, and Zhu Zhanan beside him.

They walked on the Wuying Palace Square in the Forbidden City. While walking towards the Wuying Palace, they couldn't help but look around.

"This palace is the same. It is built so tall. Is the penis made according to my own length?"

Zhu Gaochi kept complaining that he is not short. In this era when the average person is five feet three (≈170cm), his five-foot-four figure is still quite good.

Just comparing with Zhu Gaoxu, he seemed to be a dwarf, more than six inches shorter.

The Forbidden City designed by Zhu Gaoxu, whether it is the city gate or the palace, the height makes people feel insignificant.

Not only that, even the steps of the palace were made as high as possible by Zhu Gaoxu, giving a feeling that "the princes all face west and face under the Zhangtai".

"This step will cost you your life..."

Looking at the Wuying Hall, which was nearly three feet high with only its platform base, Zhu Gaochi was already out of breath before he even started climbing.

"Boss, you've been talking all the way. Are you thirsty?"

Zhu Gaosui looked at Zhu Gaochi who was still very excited after talking. He really wondered if the boss had been imprisoned at home by his sister-in-law Wang and had not been allowed to go out for many years. Why did he still talk so much at such an old age...

"No more, no more, I'll go up and have two cups of tea later, kowtow to dad, and treat it as a greeting."

Zhu Gaochi thought of his father and smiled on his face.

"His Royal Highness the King of Han and His Highness the King of Zhao, please bring the Crown Prince of Han and Crown Prince Zhao to see you!"

Standing at the gate of the palace, the eunuchs on duty sang and sang. Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu, who were sitting in the palace, were also ready.

"Xuan!"

Zhu Di spoke with dignity, and soon saw the eunuch on duty bowing, and then the sound of footsteps was heard.

After six years of separation, the four brothers, father and son, met again. Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui, along with Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Zhanan, knelt down and kowtowed.

"I, the King of Han, Zhu Gaochi (King of Zhao, Zhu Gaosui), come to see Your Majesty. Long live, long live, long live, long live, your Majesty..."

"Get up!"

Zhu Di stood up and walked over, followed by Zhu Gaoxu.

Seeing them approaching, Zhu Gaochi lowered his head with great self-knowledge.

"Boss, what's going on with you?"

Not surprisingly, Zhu Di began to ask about Zhu Gaochi's figure. Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi immediately bowed and said:

"Dad, this is all due to exhaustion..."

Zhu Gaochi was telling lies. Although he knew that Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu had spies in the Han Palace, this did not prevent him from telling lies.

"Hmph!" Zhu Di snorted coldly: "Get up."

Obviously, he didn't want to pursue Zhu Gaochi. After all, Zhu Gaochi was thirty-eight years old and was about to enter his forties. There was no need to teach him as a son in front of his grandson.

"The main purpose of calling you here this time is to let you come to Beijing to have a look and recognize the door, so that you will be familiar with the roads again in the future."

"Besides, we haven't seen each other for many years. This time I plan to take you to Yanshan for hunting to see if your equestrian skills have fallen behind."

Zhu Di talked about his arrangements, and the others didn't feel much after hearing it. Only Zhu Gaochi, who had been eating, drinking and dancing for these years, complained secretly.

"father……"

"That's it, I just need you to take care of it!"

Before Zhu Gaochi finished speaking, Zhu Di pushed back.

"Everyone, sit down!"

Zhu Di returned to his seat and asked the five people including Zhu Gaoxu to sit down together.

After they sat down, Zhu Di started chatting about the family affairs. He just asked how many grandchildren the two brothers had given them, and also asked about Zhu Zhanhe's marriage.

Due to Zhu Gaoxu's intervention, Zhu Zhanji, who was supposed to marry as the emperor's grandson in the eighth year of Yongle, is still an "older" young man.

For Zhu Di, who was eager to have his great-grandson, Zhu Zhanji's situation made him very concerned, so Zhu Di said:

"Zhan Ji is here this time, so take this opportunity to help Zhan Ji and Zhan He choose a concubine!"

"Hey!" After hearing this, Zhu Gaochi decisively agreed, but Zhu Gaoxu bowed and said:

"Dad, Zhan He is still studying in the military academy. Even if we get married now, we don't have time to get married. Why not wait?"

"What are you waiting for?" Faced with his top priority of having a great-grandson, Zhu Di showed his courage:
"He also takes vacations during the winter and summer vacations every year. At worst, he won't come to Beijing and will just stay in Nanjing to give birth to his children."

"I have issued an edict from the Ministry of Etiquette, and the selection of girls will begin soon."

"Two months is almost enough time to draft a girl."

"You ask Zhanhe to go north after finishing the exam. The draft girl will only last for a month and a half. By then, he will get married and enter the bridal chamber before going south."

"At the military school, please inform him and give him a month's leave, and then he can make up for the missed lessons."

Zhu Di told Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Gaoxu could only shake his head helplessly after hearing this, accepting the draft.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhanji stood up and bowed: "Grandpa, actually my grandson likes me."

"Oh? Tell me who you like." Zhu Di asked with interest. Zhu Gaoxu and others also looked at him sideways, very curious.

Not to mention them, even Zhu Gaochi was very curious.

"She is the daughter of Sun Zhong, the chief registrar of Yongcheng County. I noticed her when I went to Nanjing to visit my grandma. Now she has come to Beijing with my grandpa."

When Zhu Zhanji opened his mouth, others could still smile, but Zhu Gaoxu had a strange look on his face.

Sun Zhong's daughter, isn't she the orthodox Demon Queen Sun? She doted on Zhu Qizhen and turned him into an arrogant guy.

Even though he has messed up so many things, his eldest nephew is still as affectionate as ever towards Mrs. Sun.

"That's good. If you like it, I will reward you, but you still have to choose the concubine."

Zhu Di obviously didn't want a palace maid to become the concubine of his eldest grandson. After hearing this, Zhu Zhanji wanted to bow and say something, but was interrupted by Zhu Gaochi who suddenly stood up.

"Thank you for your grace, your Majesty. Zhanji still hasn't thanked your grandpa."

Zhu Gaochi was obviously worried that his son would offend the old man, and Zhu Zhanji also reacted. In the end, he could only kneel down depressedly and thank him: "Thank you, grandpa, for your kindness..."

"Get up!"

Zhu Di raised his hand to signal them to get up, and then continued to talk about choosing a concubine.

But at this time, Zhu Gaoxu was already out of his mind, wondering whether the Ming God of War would be captured this time, or who would be captured...

(End of this chapter)